Google commits $1 billion in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

The nature of work is changing on a global level at a rapid pace. Sure, it's not the first time work has been dramatically impacted by technology, but the growth of automation, robotics, AI and the like have the potential to displace jobs at an unprecedented rate. And Google will almost certainly be one of the driving forces behind that transformation.

The search giant has regularly expressed a desire to help stem some of that negative impact, and now it's putting its money where its mouth is to the tune of $1 billion. CEO Sundar Pichai announced Grow with Google at an event earlier today in Pittsburgh, PA. Over the next five years, the initiative will commit $1 billion to nonprofits aimed at training American workers and helping build business.

The location of the event will not be lost on anyone who has followed Pittsburgh's growth over the last few decades. The Steel City has long served as an ideal example of an economy that's rebounded from the brink of disaster. In Pittsburgh's case, technology was a primary driver, thanks to Carnegie Mellon, which has helped transform it from post-Rust Belt depression to one of the country's leading tech hubs. These days, the walls of Pittsburgh's former factories house cutting-edge innovations in fields like robotics and autonomous driving.

Pichai noted in his address that the city also holds special meaning for him. "It was the first city I saw in America when I came here 24 years ago," he explained. "I was here before the internet really took off, but the city was already changing. The number of high-tech jobs had doubled."

The company is committing $10 million to Goodwill as part of the initiative - the largest Google.org has committed to one organization. That money will be used to help launch the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator, aimed at preparing the American workforce for high-tech jobs. Grow with Google also will take the form of a national tour hosted by libraries and community organizations aimed at bringing training and career advice directly to local towns and cities. That's part of the company's goal of committing one million hours to employee volunteering over the next five years.

"At Google, our mission is to make sure that information serves everyone, not just a few," Pichai explained in the address. "A child in a school here in Pittsburgh can access the same information on Google as a professor at Carnegie Mellon. In the end, the internet is a powerful equalizer, capable of propelling new ideas and people forward."